Electric fan blade guard



April 8, 1958 A. w. CORWIN 2,829,319

I ELECTRIC FAN BLADE GUARD Filed June 11. 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

April 8, 1958 A. w'. CORWIN 2,829,819

' ELECTRIC FAN BLADE GUARD Filed June 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illl L8 April 8, 1958 A. w. CORWIN 2,829,819

' I ELECTRIC FAN BLADE GUARD Filed June 11, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. dfffcd ZZZ Comm/z United States Patent" ELECTRIC FAN BLADE GUARD Alfred W. Corwin, Princeton, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Controls Company of America, Schiller Park, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application June 11, 1952, Serial No. 292,869

Claims. (Cl. 230--275) tached to the motor housing with a minimum number of fastening elements.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved fan blade guard formed in two sections of wire and adapted to be readily assembled and disassembled without the use of screw fastening means, one of said sections being attached to the motor housing and the other being readily removable so as to render the fan blade accessible for adjustment or removal without the necessity of removal of the entire guard.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved fan blade guard which is rigid in construction, which affords a high degree of protection and which is simple to manufacture.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an electric fan showing my improved fan blade guard applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on a reduced scale taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig; 4 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of the wire guard construction.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially on line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 10 indicates generally an electric fan comprising a base 11 a motor housing 12 containing therewithin an electric motor on the shaft 13 of which is mounted a multi-lobed blade 14, the said blade being enclosed within a wire guard 15 suitably supported in a manner, as will be hereinafter explained, on the motor housing 12.

The fan guard 15 is formed of two separable sections A and B each formed of wire members. Section A includes inner and outer substantially circular ring members 16 and 17, respectively, the said members being substantially. identical in size, and an intermediate similarly formed ring member 18 which is of a larger size than the members 16 and 17. The members 16, 17 and 18 are each formed of wire bentinto the form illustrated, with the ends being welded to form closed ring structures. A plurality of vertically disposed spaced wire members 19, 20 and 21 are formed as more clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6 and are suitably welded to the members 16, 17 and 18 at all points of intersection therewith. The upper and lower ends of the members 19 and 21 terminate at the' inner member 16 and are welded thereto. The upper end of member 20 terminates at member 16 while the lower end of the said member terminates at the intermediate member 18 with respective ends being welded to the members 16 and 18, respectively. A plurality of spaced horizontally disposed members 22, 23, 24 and 26 shaped substantially like the members 19 and 21 are suitably welded to the vertical members 19, Ziland 21 and also to the ring members 16, 17 and 18 at respective points of intersection therewith, the terminal ends of the said horizontally disposed members being welded to the inner ring member 16. The section just described .is a rigid cage like structure which affords a high degree of protective coverage for the fan blade which it is intended to enclose.

Co-operating with section A, just described, is a supporting section B therefor which includes a closed ring member 27 formed of wire and having welded thereto two spaced angularly formed upper members 28 and 29. The said upper members include depending vertical legs 31 and 32, respectively and angularly directed arms 33 and 34, respectively; The said angular arms as will be seen in Fig. 7 are oppositely directed and each terminates in a hook portion 36 and 37, respectively, as will be seen more clearly by reference to Fig. 1. A pair of lower angularly formed members 38 and 39 shaped somewhat ditferently than the members 28 and 29 are disposed in opposed relation to the upper members and are welded to the ring member 27. The said lower mem bers similarly include vertical legs 41 and 42 respectively, arranged between the legs 31 and 32 and angularly di rected arms 43 and 44, each of the said angular arms terminating in hook portions 46 and 47, respectively.

As will be seen clearly by reference to Figs. 6 and 7,

in assembling section B with section A the hook portions 36, 37, 46 and 47 of the members 28, 29, and 38 and 39, respectively, are adapted to engage on the inner ring member 16 at the junctions of the ends of the vertical members 19 and 21 with the ring member 16. As Will be seen by reference to Figs. 6 and 7 these junctions in effect form pockets for receiving the hook portions 36, 37, 46 and 47 of the supporting structure. Preferably the elements are so proportioned in size that slight temporary deformation of co-operating elements is required I in order to effect assembly of the two sections A and B.

and securely attached to its supporting section B without the use of auxiliary fastening elements.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 it will be seen that the vertical legs 41 and 42 are spaced inwardly between the vertical legs 31 and 32. The said legs provide the means whereby the guard structure is attached to the motor housing 12 of the fan, as will be presently described. The said motor housing in the embodiment illustrated is formed of upper and lower die cast sections 51 and 52 forming an enclosing shell for the motor. The forward wall 53 of the bottom section 52 is of increased thickness greater than the other walls thereof and provided in said forward wall are two vertical bores 54 and 56 spaced apart sufficiently so that each receives one of the vertical legs 41 and 42. Also provided in the wall 53 are two sockets 57 and 58 which are spaced outwardly of the bores 54 and 56, the said sockets being adapted to accommodate the lower ends of the upper leg members 31 and 32 when the parts are in assembled rela-' As will be apparent by reference to Fig. 4 the tion. upper portion of the forward wall 53 is reduced in thickness and is provided with four grooves such as at 59 with one of said grooves being in registration with a bore or socket to accommodate the upper and lower legs 3 31, 32 and 41 and 42, respectively. When the parts are in assembled relation as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the said legs are tightly clamped to the forward wall 53 by means of nuts 60 and bolts 61 one of the nuts as illustrated in Fig. 5 engaging with one upper and one lower leg and clamping the same in respective grooves in the forward wall. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 7, each nut 60 engages against the ends of one upper and one lower leg, since opposite legs overlap each other.

The forward wall 62 of the upper section 51 of the housing is recessed inwardly at two spaced places as illustrated in Fig. 4 to accommodate the upper legs 31 and 32. A shoulder 63 is preferably provided in each recess to be engaged by a protuberance 64 provided on each of the legs 31 and 32 for a purpose as will he hereinafter explained.

In order to mount section B on the motor housing 12, the upper legs 31 and 32 are temporarily pushed out of their normal plane so as to permit the lower legs 41 and 42 to be inserted upwardly into the bores 54 and 56 in the front wall 53 of the lower section of the housing. As will be apparent, during such insertion the upper legs 31 and 32 bear against the outer surface of the forward walls of the housing sections 51 and 52 and when the lower legs 41 and 42 have been inserted sufficiently upwardly into the bores 54 and 56, the upper legs 31 and 32 clear the upper edge of the lower section 52 and spring back to their normal plane. Then pushing downwardly preferably on the member 27 the ends of the upper legs 31 and 32 are caused to register with respective grooves and to enter into the sockets 57 and 58. When the legs are seated therein the proper position for the guard structure relative to the housing is determined. The legs 31, 32 and 41 and 42 are now in position to be clamped against the forward wall 53 by tightening of the bolts 61. Section A' may then be secured to the section B by causing the hook portions 36, 37, 46 and 47 to engage with the inner ring member 16 in the manner hereinbefore described. It will be apparent that slight temporary deformation of the elements is required in order to effect assembly of section A with its supporting section B. This of course is desirable, since the sections A and B after assembly are placed under a certain degree of tension which servesto effect adequate securement of the said sections together. It will be apparent that should it become necessary to remove or adjust the fan blade, it is only necessary to effect disengagement of section A from its supporting section B .without disassembly of section B from the motor housing. Upon disengagement of the hook portions of section B from section A it is merely necessary to manipulate the latter so that the fan blade is passed through the rear circular opening of the said section. Reassembly of section Ato its supporting section B may be easily elfected by a reverse manipulation of section A and engagement of the hook portions therewith.

Preferably after section B of the blade guard has been assembled in the manner hereinabove described, the upper housing section 51 is assembled to the lower housing section 52 by tipping section 51 downwardly so as to elfect engagement of the shoulders 63 with protuberances 64. The section 51 is then rocked to a horizontal position in cooperative engagement with the lower housing section 52 and is secured in such position by a single screw 75 at the rear. It will of course be understood that the upper section 51 may be placed in position before assembly of section B to thehousing. It will be apparent that the arrangement just described affords a very simple and efficient means for effecting securement of the housing sections together. The protuberances 64 cooperate with shoulders 63 at the forward end of the housing to secure the sections together, thus requiring only a single screw at the rearward end to complete securement of said housing section.

It will be apparent from the foregoingthat I have provided a wire guard for a fan blade which provides more effective protective enclosure than similar devices heretofore used, which is readily assembled and disassembled without the use of tools in order to effect removal of the guard so as to provide access to the fan blade should the same be necessary either for adjustment or removal of the fan blade from the shaft and which will retain its position with relation to the fan blade even in the event that the clamping means became loose as the result of vibration during long continued operation of the fan.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled. in the art. Hence I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a supporting wall having vertical elongated sockets therein all substantially coplanar, all of said sockets intersecting inner and outer faces of said wall, a generally cage-like structure having two pairs of legs all substantially coplanar, the legs of One pair being oppositely directed and spaced from the legs of the other pair with one pair of legs overlapping the other pair of legs, said legs being adapted to be received in said sockets with overlapping portions of said legs exposed on the inner face of said wall, and means engageable with respective overlapping portions of said legs for clamping said legs to the inner face of said wall.

2. In combination, an electric fan having a fan blade and a motor housing, a blade guard of generally cagelike structure adapted to enclose said blade, said blade guard having two pairs of legs, the legs of one pair being oppositely directed and spaced from the legs of the other pair, with one pair of legs overlapping the other pair of legs, said motor housing having vertical elongated sockets in an end wall thereof defining openings extending from the exterior to the interior of said housing and adapted to receive said legs, and means engageable with respective overlapping portions of said legs within the housing for clamping said legs to the inner face of said end wall.

3. In combination, an electric fan having a fan blade and a motor housing, said housing having two parallel recesses in the outer face of an end wall thereof, said motor housing having two parallel bores substantially coplanar with said recesses, a blade guard of generally cage-like structure adapted to enclose said blade, said blade guard having two pairs of legs all substantially coplanar, the legs of one pair being oppositely directed and spaced from the legs of the other pair with one pair of legs overlapping the other pair of legs, one pair of said legs being received in said recesses and the other pair of legs being received in said bores, and means engageable with respective overlapping portions of said legs for clamping said legs to the inner face of said end wall.

4. In combination, a housing formed of upper and lower cooperating sections, the upper section having two spaced vertical sockets in an end wall and a shoulder at the top of each socket, the lower section having two vertical sockets coplanar with said first-mentioned sockets, a guard of generally cage-like structure having two pairs of legs all substantially coplanar, the legs of one pair being oppositely directed and spaced from the legs of the other pair with one pair of legs overlapping the other pair of legs, one pair of said legs being adapted to be received in the upper sockets, said last-mentioned legs having shoulders adapted to engage the shoulders on said upper section, the other pair of legs being adapted to be received in the sockets of the lower section, and means engageable with respective overlapping portions of said legs for clamping said legs to the inner face ofsaid end wall whereby to secure said guard to said housing and said upper and lower housing sections together.

5, In'combination, a motor housing formed of upper and lower cooperating sections, the upper section having two vertical parallel recesses in the outer face of an end wall and a shoulder associated with the top of each recess, the lower section having two vertical parallel bores substantially coplanar with said recesses, a guard of generally cage-like structure having two pairs of legs all substantially coplanar, the legs of one pair being oppositely directed and spaced from the legs of the other pair with one pair of legs overlapping the other pair of legs, one pair of said legs being adapted to he received in said recesses, said last-mentioned legs having protuberances adapted to. engage the shoulders on said upper section, the other pair of legs being adapted to be received in said bores, and means engageable with respective overlapping portions of said legs for clamping said legs to the inner face of said end wall whereby to secure said guard to said housing and said upper and lower sections together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Luff Aug. 16, Cornell Nov. 26, Koch Oct. 21, Koch Nov. 17, Koch et a1. Dec. 23, Weber Mar. 1, Kemler Nov. 11,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 30, 

